Assignment: Revolution and Depression Set the Stage for Another War

The two decades between the World Wars were ones of economic, social, and political upheaval and turmoil all over the world. Anticolonialist movements were sweeping through many regions that had long been far flung parts of European empires. New ideas in science, technology, and popular culture were calling into question much about traditional society. A worldwide Great Depression seemed to threaten the economic viability of some of the world's most prosperous and powerful nations.

Although different regions of the world were impacted differently by the end of World War I and the changes taking place in its aftermath, all regions were affected. This week, we read about how the Americas, East Asia, India and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and Africa fared during the 1920s and 1930s. For this week's Assignment, you will look at one of these four areas and analyze how the interwar decades influenced its stability.

To prepare for this Assignment:

• Review Chapter 12 (pp. 173-189), Chapter 13 (pp. 190-203), Chapter 14 (pp. 204-212), and Chapter 15 (pp. 213-227) in this week's Learning Resources to understand how each of the four regions was impacted by the interwar period.

• Choose one of the four regions (the Americas, East Asia, India and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and Africa) to analyze in depth.

• Consider how political factors like revolution and the rise of radical political ideologies, anticolonial/independence movements, and global social and economic upheaval affected your region

• Reflect on how these factors might have influenced how your region looked in 1939, when another World War began.

The assignment:

• Compose a 2-page essay in which you do the following:

o Choose one of the four regions covered in this week's Course Resources (the Americas, East Asia, India and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and Africa) to profile.

o Of the elements that impacted the world during the interwar years (revolution and the rise of radical political ideologies, anticolonial/independence movements, and global social and economic upheaval) which were the most important factors in shaping your region during the 1920s and 1930s and why?

o How did your region relate to the different powers that would once again go to war in 1939?

o Support your assertions by making multiple references to your course readings.